In Vampire: The Masquerade is there a reliable way for a vampire to avoid being damaged / killed by exposure to sunlight? Anything would go, be it a Discipline power, a technology device or anything else.

(I'm willingly ignoring Torpor and similar complications, I only want to know if there is a way to avoid the damage caused by the sun.)

10 Answers
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The most reliable way to reduce the damage caused by sunlight is through the use of the discipline of Fortitude. Fortitude allows you to soak aggravated damage, including that caused by sunlight. According to page 302 of the Vampire 20th Anniversary edition, the difficulty for soaking sunlight while "fully protected by heavy clothes, sunglasses, gloves, and a wide-brimmed hat" is only 5, which isn't hard to make.

However, if you want to be immune to sunlight, that's a lot harder. There's a bloodline called the Kiasyd who have access to a discipline called Mytherceria; at level 9, you can resume mortality for a while, which would make you immune to sunlight damage while it was in effect. Same thing with the Children of Osiris and Bardo, and that one Obtenebration power from the Dark Ages that blocked out the sun. Generally, walking in sunshine is a level 9 power for a discipline. (The curse of Caine is strong.)

On the other side, if you're a 15th generation thin-blood (with the relevant flaw), sunlight only does lethal damage to you, which you can soak or spend blood to heal more easily than agg.

One other almost way would be to use Dominate 5: Possession to possess someone and have them walk around in the daylight (preferably a ghoul for their increased durability) if you were a Tzimisce you could fleshcraft them to look like yourself, as long as you can stay awake!
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RobOct 1 '12 at 7:43

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The Gargoyle bloodline's discipline Visceratika can also protect against sunlight, although until you get to the higher tiers you become a statue when doing so.
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Brian SJan 29 '14 at 14:33

The first is a crazy high level of Fortitude that's usually only attained by antediluvians such as Zapathasura (Ravnos) who battled packs of Garou, solar reflectors, Bodhisattvas, numerous mortals and three spirits Technocracy in direct sunlights for days.

The other is Necromancy level 5, which is actually quite doable:

If the character is a Necromancer and he has learned the path: The Corpse in the Monster (Level 5). He can use Gift of Life. The vampire has to spend as much consecutive turns as needed to spend 12 blood points. Of course almost no vampire can spend that amount in one go, so using some of the turns to spend 1 blood and feed 3 is allowed as long as he doesn't runn off to hunt to do so. He has to have a vessel handy. He then rolls Stamina + Occult, any successes activates the power.

Successful activation grants many human traits.
Damage from the sun is taken only if it is direct sunlight and the character is not sufficiently covered. Any sunlight damage taken can be soaked using fortitude at half the difficulty (round up.)
Fire does damage in the same way as it does to mortals.
Althoug tired, he can remain active during the day without dice pool caps on Humanity or Path.

Halving bashing damage, Fortitude and Auspex disciplines remain, others at storyteller's discretion. Artifacts and stakes still inflict the same damage.
Rötschreck and frenzy rolls will still have to be made, but also against a halved difficulty (rounded up.)

It comes at a price though, the ability lasts until the next midnight (so activating just after midnight is best) and when it's over, the beast will strike back. All rolls to resist frenzy will be at +3 difficulty for the next 6 nights.

Even if one managed to become theoretically immortal, daywalkers are still improbable because doing stuff during the day is more difficult for inherently nocturnal vampires.

So while it's mechanically possible, and it should be permitted for extremely powerful vampires on extremely rare occasions, it shouldn't be something common. If I remember correctly, one of the minor clan specific disciplines in 20th Anniversary Edition allowed someone to go around during the day with no penalties, all for the low cost of a month of preparation.

Why was this voted down? It answers the question (admittedly negatively, but that's still an answer), it justifies its answer with an game-world explanation, and it even points out rules that reinforce its position.
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GMJoeMar 1 '12 at 5:01

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Also, you'd have to deal with the Red Fear if you're wandering about; not difficult for all vampires, but still a consideration; you've got the daytime penalties, aggravated damage (even if being covered helps, it's not 100% viable), frenzy checks, and more that preclude daytime activity for all but the most incredibly powerful vampires or those with specializations simply to go into sunlight.
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Kyle WilleyMar 1 '12 at 16:26

Gangrel can also with a high discipline power of animalism that allows them to possess an animal and walk around during daylight hours, provided they stay awake*. Other then that, fortitude will assist with surviving short periods of time in the sunlight, as well as the level 10 discipline power of becoming a ball of fire*, but thats the top mastery of the power and is nearly impossible for PC to obtain.

Welcome to the site! You've got some good answers here -- although many of them have strong limitations on them that keep them from regular play or use, they do fit the question.
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JadascNov 13 '12 at 13:43

There is also a Lasombra only merit you can take at character creation called Strength of Shadows (Clanbook Lasombra) that gives you 4 hours of daywalking.. I was surprised when I read this because it seems OP to me and the only requirement is that you are Lasombra.

The power Benedictio Vitae/Gift of Life (Necromancy/Mortis 5, Path of Corpse in the Monster, pg283 Dark Ages 20 or Dark Ages: Vampire p193).

The power grants one full day of partial sun immunity. The vampire will take no damage if in shade or covered fully by clothing. Soak difficulty with Fortitude is halved, should the vampire be directly exposed to the sun.

One option that hasn't been brought up yet would be Astral Projection using Auspex. Not really a physical presence, but a Vampire could be out in the world.

As far as technology, given the mystical nature of the bad that the sun causes Vampires, I'd say no; with the caveat that there is magical technology, made by mages, that could manage to help. It would be odd for the Technocracy to create this, as helping "reality deviants" is not what they do, and anything made by an Etherite would likely be a single piece of hand made madness that would slowly gather paradox and then explode at some point.